Despite the anxiety of wartime, the summertime for the Christian Football/Soccer Club “Nadia” went safely and fruitfully. During this time, there were two most significant events: a family camp in Zgorany and a football tournament in Kamianets-Podilskyi.

At the end of July and beginning of August, a family retreat was organized for the club’s players and their parents on the shores of Zgorany Lake in the Volyn region. It was a great opportunity to spend time together and swim in the lake, and each family took turns cooking food, but the most memorable were the evenings around the campfire. We called them “Encounters with Jesus” because we reflected on biblical stories about how different people met Jesus Christ when He walked the earth and how these encounters changed their lives. These are Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, the leper and the Pharisees, and other biblical characters.
On the team, we had the family of a young pastor from the Rivne Bible Mission Church Community of the Good Shepherd, and everyone (children and adults) noticed their good relationship, wisdom in raising their son, willingness to serve, and skills to play football. During such retreats, the gospel is especially preached in a powerful way, because the Word and the personal example of Christians are combined.

On August 21, the club went to Kamianets-Podilskyi at the invitation of the local Christian Football Club “Peremoga.” This club was organized by the Christian coach, who moved here from Kyiv in February 2022. This is a good example of how the gospel reaches children through football because every time before training they pray and have a Bible lesson, often together with their parents they attend church and joint Christian events. During this time, the club grew to about 100 players. With the help of the mayor of the city, the competition of young football players was held at the central stadium. Children’s Christian teams from Rivne, Irpen, and Kamianets-Podilskyi took part in the tournament. Of course, we are particularly pleased that “Nadia” won all the football matches and achieved a well-deserved sports victory. In general, there was a friendly atmosphere, many bright matches, emotions, and then a joint lunch in the local church, a Bible lesson, and a trip to the ancient castle.

In the second half of August, CFC “Nadia” started a new football season. The six teams resumed regular training, studying the Word, preparing for the competition, that is, they caught up with their usual work rhythm. We thank God for bringing new children on the teams and for the opportunity to invest in their physical development and spiritual training.